US construction spending drops 0.9% as housing takes a hit

AP Photo,, No available, FILE - In this April 9, 2019, file photo a worker walks along the a structure being built for the NFL Draft in Nashville, Tenn. On Wednesday, May 1, the Commerce Department reports on U.S. construction spending in March. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. construction spending dropped in March or the first time in four months, and spending on U.S. home construction fell to the lowest level in more than two years.

The Commerce Department says construction spending — including housing, nonresidential and government building projects — fell 0.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.28 trillion after rising 0.7% in both January and February.